Here’s the fans’ pick for the Stanislaus District’s 2023 Football Player of the Year
When the Escalon High football team needed to make a play, there was a good chance quarterback Donovan Rozevink would come through.
Countless times during the 2023 season, the senior led 75-plus yard drives that ended in either game winning field goals or late touchdowns. His best performance will likely go down in Escalon football history.
With his team trailing Patterson 35-28 with just over six minutes left in the Division IV section championship against Patterson, Rozevink led the Cougars on a 78-yard drive spanning five and a half minutes where they converted five third and fourth downs. On one third down he connected with Sam Jimenez for a 13-yard touchdown to make it a one-point game with just 36 seconds left. Rozevink kept it himself on a power run up the middle for the two point conversion and the lead, capping a 21-point comeback victory for the title.
Rozevink finished his senior season with passing career highs across the board. He threw for 2,106 yards and 36 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. He completed a career best 61.7% of his passes with 150.4 yards a game and 10.1 completions a game for the 12-2 Cougars.
This season, Rozevink and the Cougars went 4-1 in a tough non-league schedule, beating Golden Valley, Buchanan, Windsor and Oakdale and they went 5-0 in the Trans Valley League.
The fans noticed his outstanding season, voting him their Player of the Year. Rozevink finished in first, earning 50% of the over 20,600 votes in the poll. He finished ahead of quarterbacks Robert McDaniel of Hughson and Downey’s Carson Lamb, who came in second and third place, respectively.
Over his three-year career as the varsity starter, he led Escalon to a 37-7 record with 5,837 passing yards and 83 passing touchdowns. They won three section titles, a NorCal title and a Division 4-AA State Championship in 2022.
Rozevink also earned The Bee’s Offensive Player of the Year award for his career highs and his ability to come through when his team needed it most.
2023 SEASON PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Preseason: Xzavier Clark (Ripon)
Week 1: Tek Garcia (Johansen)
Week 2: Jeremiah Lugo (Patterson)
Week 3: Trey Webb (Gregori)
Week 4: Noah Cruz (Downey)
Week 5: Sam Jimenez (Escalon)
Week 6: Max Medina (Patterson)
Week 7: Ezekiel Suarez (Davis)
Week 8: Alexander Villarreal (Hughson)
Week 9: Talan Reider (Escalon)
Week 10: Izzy Sanchez (Davis)
Week 11: Izzy Sanchez (Davis)
Playoffs Week 1: Ryne Moore (Downey)
Playoffs Week 2: Jamin Miller (Escalon)
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 12:30 PM.
